For A While
by SomethingMoreCreative
Summary: Sally didn't normally use profanity, but if this situation didn't call for it, she couldn't think of one that did. Or, a reunion fic between Sally and Percy after the Giant War. Set after HoO. Percabeth.


**A/N: This is a short one-shot for Sally. It's set post Heroes of Olympus. It has no clear plot and it is pretty abstract (like most of my stuff lately) but I liked it enough to post it.**

**WARNING: This has a slight use of profanity, so if that isn't your thing please be aware of that.**

**Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or the Heroes of Olympus.**

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_Fuck yes, motherfucker._

Sally wasn't one who normally cursed, but if this situation didn't allow for it then no one else in the entire universe could _ever_ say another phrase of profanity.

Her son, Percy Jackson, and his girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, (Sally should really just call her a daughter because that's basically what she was) were standing about three yards away from her at this very moment.

It had been almost a year since she had seen Percy, and if it hadn't been for his eye color or her mother's instinct, she wouldn't have recognized him.

He had grown almost a foot taller since she had seen him last. His shoulders were a little broader, and he looked leaner and more muscled. His hair was short and choppy, like someone had threatened to cut it with a knife and Percy had moved to get away from them (which probably wasn't too far off from what actually happened). His eyes were narrowed, and he had a death grip on Annabeth's hand.

Her son was alive. He was alive. He had saved the world. He was alive.

_Fuck yes._

Sally couldn't help it anymore. She sprang forward and wrapped her arms around him.

She didn't realize she was shaking until he said, "Hi, Mom."

She burst into tears at the sound of his voice. He was actually there. He was standing in her arms right now. _He was alive._

"Oh, Percy, thank gods." She sighed. She felt the cloud of sadness that had covered her since she had found out he was missing just disappear. It was like all of the tension in her body and mind just floated away. Just like that.

After another second of holding Percy, she blinked a few of her tears away and leaned up. Percy was clutching at her desperately, and his shoulders were hunched over and his face was buried in her shoulder.

Sally finally spotted Annabeth again, and she realized that _she _was okay too. As long as Annabeth was okay, then Percy would be okay, and then Sally would be okay because both of them were okay.

Sally reached out with her other arm and pulled Annabeth into her embrace. The daughter of Athena didn't even hesitate to collapse into her arms. Sally remembered the months of Percy's absence when Annabeth would come over for a status report and a crying break.

The two seventeen year old demigods that had saved the world more times than they could count stood in her arms and cried their eyes out. Sally knew that they had been through hell (literally) this past year, and she couldn't quite blame them.

She hadn't seen Percy cry since he was little, and she had forgotten how upset it made her. He had always been very quiet when he cried, but right now, the sobs that wracked his body and the gasps of breath he kept drawing and the incoherent muttering were warming her heart. He was _here. In her arms_.

She cradled both of their heads and rocked them gently. "I'm here. Everything is okay. We're together and we're safe. You're home. I love you." She murmured over and over to them.

The gods had been appreciative enough of their heroes to let her into Camp. Chiron had given her the whole story before she had seen Annabeth and Percy. It had been a few days since the war had ended, but Percy had been unconscious up until yesterday morning, and there had been a few loose ends to tie up before they had called Sally. Once Sally had gotten the call, she had jumped into the car and not slowed down until she had to. She hadn't even bothered to call Paul at work before she had left.

Sally finally managed to stop crying herself, and a feeling of utter happiness consumed her. Of course, it made her a little sad that Percy and Annabeth were so upset, but she couldn't help but be so happy, so relieved that they were okay. She couldn't really make herself care about anything else.

Percy's incoherent mumblings turned into words, but it took her a few minutes to realize that he was saying, "Mom."

"Yes, baby?" She asked.

His eyes opened just a tad, and he sounded like a little kid again. "Can we come home with you?"

Annabeth nodded against her and pressed even closer. "I don't want to stay here, Sally. Not now. No one understands."

Sally interrupted both of them with a small smile, "Of course you can. I was hoping you would ask me because if you didn't I was just going to pile up in the bunks with you two."

Sally caught Annabeth's small smile and Percy's hug got tighter in response. She knew that they weren't okay yet, but they would be. They would be okay one day. And they had her until that day came.

Ω

Sally was lying in her bed, writing in a notebook for the first time in months. Her writing had come to a slow halt, and right now she was writing more than she had since Percy had been gone.

She was "writing up a storm" when her door squeaked open.

Percy and Annabeth peeked their heads around the corner of the door. Sally could see the dark circles that were under their eyes.

Once they had left Camp, Sally had called Paul and he had been waiting on them to get back. Percy had been excited to see him, and Annabeth had just stood beside Sally holding her hand while they hugged. After they ordered pizza and ate dinner, Sally had put the two of them to bed in Percy's room. Considering what they had been through lately, it didn't really matter if they slept in the same bed. Besides, catastrophe would probably ensue if she tried to split them up.

Chiron had told her to be very careful with them. The war had caused major damage to them, even if they didn't realize it.

From what the rest of the seven demigods said, Percy and Annabeth acted okay during the day. They would go about their business, smiling and laughing like nothing in the world was wrong, but there was a look in Percy's eyes that had never been before, and Annabeth was way less focused than ever. As long as they were side by side, they were fine, but the one night that Chiron had tried to make them sleep in their separate cabins, their nightmares had been so bad that the whole camp could hear them screaming.

From then on, it had been determined that contact was very important. Percy and Annabeth needed to be together most of the time, and if they weren't together then it was very important that they were with someone else. Annabeth was always holding someone's hand, and Percy was always standing close to someone.

So she shouldn't have been surprised when they showed up in her room not even half an hour after she put them to bed.

"Mom?" Percy asked. His voice was low, like he was afraid she had been asleep.

She sat up and tossed her notebook to the floor, "Yes, baby? Are you and Annabeth okay?"

Annabeth stepped out from behind Percy, and he shifted so he was standing behind her. "We can't sleep." She whispered with a frown.

"Do you think you could sleep in here?" Sally asked even though she knew the answer already.

Annabeth nodded and crawled up onto the bed beside Sally. She hated to think it, but Annabeth was a little more familiar with her than her own son was now.

Percy hesitated for a second, but once Sally and Annabeth held out their arms to him, he crawled up on Sally's other side and grabbed Annabeth's hand.

She had the two of them on each side of her. They both had their faces buried in her side, and their linked hands were lying on top of her stomach. Percy had his free hand clutched in her shirt, and Annabeth was holding one of Sally's hands.

Sally smiled once she heard Percy start snoring lightly.

"Sally?" Annabeth whispered.

"Yes, baby?" Sally said softly, squeezing her hand.

"Thank you." She murmured, slanting her beautiful gray eyes up at Sally.

She smiled at her, "Of course, baby. I love you."

"I love you, too." She whispered before her eyes closed and she fell asleep right beside Percy.

Sally sat there with them, staring down at her two favorite demigods sleeping peacefully. They deserved it, and if Sally had to sit here like this for the rest of her life then by the gods she would do it.

Paul came in a few minutes later, and his eyes widened when he saw them. He smiled at her.

"Will you hand me my notebook?" Sally whispered. "I think I'm going to be here for a while."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a review and tell me what you think!**

**-SomethingMoreCreative**


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